Arts / Summers wins Rhoda Bulter award
LIAM Summers from Quarff has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Rhoda Bulter Award.
The competition celebrates the life and work of the late Rhoda Bulter who was a poet, performer and promoter of Shetland’s unique ‘midder tongue’.
She made a significant contribution to Shetland’s cultural life.
This year, in recognition of Bulter’s artistic talent, entrants were invited to create a wall-hanging, picking one of four poems as a basis for their artwork.
In addition, they had to write a short artist’s statement, describing their journey from their chosen poem to the work it inspired.
Winner Liam Summers was inspired by Caald Clods an Tinder.
“I enjoyed the challenge,” he said. “It offered a new take on my usual artwork.
“I took my response to the poem and the personal memories it prompted, getting that reflected in the work I made.”
The competition is judged by Rhoda and Dennis Bulter’s family.
John Bulter, speaking on behalf of his siblings, said the high standard of all the entries made it a very difficult task to judge.
He emphasised how important the artists’ statements had been, with their own stories enriching the artwork itself.
Language promotion group Shetland ForWirds supports the competition, while the Shetland Museum and Archives has found space to exhibit the artwork in June and July.
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